Rocking-chair fan.



. SCHMALZL.

ROCKING CHAIR FAN.

APPLICATION man MAR. 10. 1911. RENEWED JUNE I0. 19w.

Patented July 16, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEETI J. SCHIVIALZL.

ROCKING CHAIR FAN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10, 1917. RENEWED JUNE :0. 1918.

1,273,997. Patented July 16, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

JOSEPH SCHMALZL, OF SOUTH BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROCKING-CHAIR FAN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1918.

Application filed March 10, 1917, SerialNo. 153,884. Renewed June 10, 1918. Serial No. 239,289.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr SoHMALzL, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Bethlehem, in the county of Northampton and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Rocking-Chair Fan, of which the following is a specification.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a means whereby rotation may be imparted to a fan, by the movement of a rocking chair.

The invention aims to provide novel means whereby motion may be transmitted from the chair to the fan.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide novel means for assembling the chair with the base which carries the fan.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the present invention appertalns.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is anelevation showing the device forming the subject matter of this application in connection with a rocking chair;

Fig. 2 is av fragmental sectional view showing the weight whereby the base is held in place;

Fig. 8 is a fragmental sectional view showing the screw whereby the base is held in place;

Fig. 1 is a top plan of the structure shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken approximately on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the standard which carries the fan and the mechanism for actuating the fan;

Fig. 7 is a section taken approximately on the line 77 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a keeper which applied to the rocker of the chair;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the hearing which is located at the upper end of the standard; and

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing an element which cooperates with the structure delineated in Fig. 9.

In" the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a base which may be in the form of a fiat board. In Fig. 3, the numeral 2 designates the floor on which the base 1 rests. curing the base 1 to the floor 2. The base 1 may be supplied with a hole 3 in which is mounted a bushing 4: having a flange overlapping the upper face of the base 1, securmg elements 6 passing through the flange 5 to hold the bushing on the base. Threaded into the bushing t is a screw 7 which is adapted to engage the floor 2, in order to hold the base against movement thereon. The screw 7 has a turning head 8. In case it is desired that the floor 2 shall not be marred, then a weight 9 may be placed on the base 1 at one corner thereof or elsewhere, the weight 9 being shaped asshown at 10, to conform to the outline of the corner of the base 1. The weight 9 is supplied with a lifting eye 11 and has seats 12 in its lower face, adapted to receive pins 14 projecting upwardly from the base 1, the construction being such that although the weight 9 may be lifted readily off the base 1, the weight will not shuck or move about on the base. One edge of the base 1 carries a track 15 which may be in the form of an angle member including a vertical flange 16 and a horizontal flange 17, the horizontal flange 17 being attached to the bottom of the base 1 by means of securing elements 18.

In the upper face of the base 1 there is Any means may be provided for sefashioned a recess 19 which may be located 5 23 into which the lower end of the tubular standard 24: is threaded, the standard abutting against the buffer 20. Since the buffer 20 is resilient, one purpose of the buffer is to prevent the standard 2a from rotating in the neck 23, when the lower end of the standard 24 is firmly seated on the buffer. The tubular standard 24: terminates at its upper end, as shown in Fig. 9, in parallel vertical side plates 25 having openings 26. In the upper edges of the side plates 25, notches 27 are formed, the same defining long arms 28 and short arms 29. The arms 28 are connected by a guide pin 30. Applied to the outer faces of the side plates 25 are disks J ournaled for rotation in. the bearings 34 isv a shaft, 36 to the intermediate portion of which is secured a sheave 37. The inner endsof the bearings 84 engage opposite faces of the sheave 37', and thus the shaft 3,6, is prevented fromv moving endwise. Mounted on one end of the shaft 36is a fan 38 mounted in, place by nuts 39.

A weight 40 is mounted to reciprocate 1n the tubular standard 24.. At its ends, the weightv 40 is surrounded by resilient bands 41. The bands prevent the weight 40 from making a noise, when the Weight moves ver-v tieally in the standard 24, The weight 40. is provided at its lower nd with a reduced tip 42 which, engaging the resilient buffer 20, prevents noise when theweight 40 moves downwardly to an extreme position. In the upper end of the weight 40 thereis fashioned a. bore 43,, communicating. with a cross passage, 44. The lower end of a. flexible ele ment 45. extends downwardly into the bore,

43 and is provided with a knot46" or other projection, so that the flexible; element 45 cannot be pulled out of the bore43. In practical operation, the lower end of the flexible, element 45 may be pushed downwar l through the bore 43 and outwardly in a lat eral direction through either end of the pas: sage 44. The knot 46 then is: formed, and

finally the flexible element 45 is drawn up.

into the position shown, in Fig, 6.

The numeral 47 denotes a hair including a rocker 48. The rocker 48 is received between the vertical flange 16.0fthe track15 and the adjacentedge of the basel, and is mounted, to oscillate on thehorizontal flange,

17 of the track. The chair 47. includes a back post 49. The flexible element 45 extends upwardly across the sheave 37, and

beneath. the guide pin 30, the upper end: of"

the flexible element being, fashionedv into a loop,5 0which is slipped over. the upper end.

of theback post 49, as clearly shownfin Fig; 1. Secured to the inner face of the rocker .48., is a keeper, 5 1 having, asshown in Fig.

8, an intermediate offset portion 52,- in the lower. edge ofv which. a notch 53 is formed. The numeral54denotes a helical sprin disposed above the base 1. One end 0 the The button 58 is engaged within the part 52 of'the keeper 51,. the neck or stem 59 of the button being'receijved in the notch In this way, the rocker 48 is so connected with the track 15 that the rocker will n t creepout of the track when the rocker is. oscillated; The spring 54 tends to swing the button 3 upwardly, and consequently the button is firmly maintained in engagement with the part 52 of the, keeper 5,1. If, however, the operator wishes to. disengage the button 58 from thekeeper 51,,it may be brought about readily by pressingthespring 51 downwardly with the foot. The rod. 5? inside of, the spring 54 gives. the spring the necessary stiffness.

When the rocking chair 47 is swung to and. fro, the flexible element, 45. will. be reciprocat'ed. When the flexible element 45. is'advanced, the shaft 36, and consequently the fan 38 will be rotated, because the flexible element bears.v frictibnally onv the sheave 37'. When the flexible element 45; is

not appreciably retard: the rotation. which.

has been imparted to, the fan. 38. when. the: flexible element. 45; is advanced, and when the Weight 40. is lifted. The bands, 41, coacting with the standard 24, retard the downward movement of the weight 40,. so that the flexible element 45 will slacken up slightly, when the chair is. swung forwardly, thereby permitting a continuorisro tation of the fan 88,. in, one direction, as above stated.

As hereinbefore stated, the resilient bands 41. on the weight 40,. taken in connection with the buffer 20, will cause the structure, to. Work noiselessly, a condition desirable if not absolutely necessary in structures of n this kind.

end of the standard; a fan carried by the shaft; a sheave carried by the shaft; a weight niounted to reciprocate in the standard; a flexible element connected with the weight and trained across the sheave; a track carried by the base; a chair including a rocker mounted to move on the track, the flexible element being connected with the chair; a keeper carried by the rocker and provided with a notch in its lower edge; and a spring one end of which is secured to the base, the other end of the spring being provided with a button received in the notch, the spring eX'erting an upward pressure on the button, to maintain the but ton firmly engaged in the notch.

2. In a device of the class described, a base provided with a recess; a resilient buffer seated in the recess; a tubular standard mounted in the recess and abutting at its lower end against the buffer; a weight mounted to reciprocate in the standard; a resilient band surrounding the weight and coacting with the bore of the standard, the band and the buifer cooperating to reduce the noise incident to the reciprocation of the weight in the standard; a shaft journaled for rotation in the upper end of the standard; a sheave carried by the shaft, the flexible element being trained across the sheave; and a fan carried by the shaft.

3. In a device of the class described a base; a tubular standard carried by the base; a shaft journaled for rotation in the upper end of the standard; a fan carried by the shaft; a sheave carried by the shaft; a weight mounted to reciprocate in the standard; a friction element carried by the weight and coacting with the standard to retard the downward movement of the Weight; a flexible element connected to the weight and engaging a part of the periphery of the sheave; and a rocking chair whereunto the flexible element is connected.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH SCHMALZL.

Witnesses BU'RKI-IARDT SoHMmLI, J OSEPH BIOHLER.

Copies of this patent may be .obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. i 

